


The Wild

by princeunderthemountain



Series: Return To The Earth [1]
Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-18
Updated: 2013-02-18
Packaged: 2017-11-29 18:58:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/690347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princeunderthemountain/pseuds/princeunderthemountain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben Baggins is a cafe worker who has spent his life in a cycle of agonising mediocrity. When he meets a strange named Tane Durin, a series of events are set off that change Ben's life, and the life of the ones around him. Time is running out, and if he is ever to survive the unexplainable wrath of the psychotic Serena Smaug, Ben must discover the secret of his existence, and how he might ever be able to survive the harsh world he had been thrown in to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Ordinary Man

Ben Baggins was, by no means, an extraordinary man.  
He got up at a quarter to seven every morning. He showered, got dressed, ate a large but healthy breakfast, and was out of his flat in by eight. From their, he got the train from Manor House station to St. Pancras station, where he worked at a cafe. This was his routine, and he was quite content with it.  
He would have liked to have friends, and many times his colleagues asked him to go to the pub with them, but he simply did not want to impose. It would be a hassle, wouldn’t it? They’d have to deal with him, and what if they weren’t any fun? What if he wasn’t any fun? It was truly too horrible to imagine.  
So he stuck to his routine. He faded into the crowd, making it his life ambition to never offend anyone. What more could he do?  
Ben never really thought about it, but he had once been amazing. He had a yearning to break free of daily minutia, but he never admitted it to himself. He wanted to see India, and Africa, and China. He wanted to eat strange food and get lost in a foreign city and be arrested until he apologized in a language he didn’t know. He got it from his mother. Or really, he got it from his mother’s brother. Ben’s parents had always warned him to not be alarmed if he came home from school one day and his Uncle was sitting on the front step, telling stories of Germany and Australia. That had been when they had lived in Southampton, before he had lived here in London. Sadly, his uncle died a few years prior, and Ben had moved to London to attend to the legal work. Eventually, he got so used to it he never left.  
This was the life of Ben Baggins, but all of that was going to change. Ben could feel it in the air...something was coming along to pull him away.  
He just needed a push.

*

The man had just been another customer. Another person buying a sandwich and a drink and sitting down to use the wifi for a few minutes. He left, and Ben cleaned his table. Ben returned to to the till and found the man waiting again to buy a drink.  
“Uh, sorry. God, I always feel awkward buying twice.” The man said. His long black hair streaked with silver hung down over his shoulders as he bent his head down, apparently embarrassed.  
“Oh no! It’s fine. I’m worse, really. I...I...really should just get your order and let you leave.” Ben uttered, punching in the numbers for the second drink.  
Ben handed the man his change and he turned around. Ben, without really thinking about it, did what he usually considered the highest offense he could commit against himself.  
He complimented the stranger.  
“I like your hair.” he said. Simply, innocently. Not in the way someone desperate might say.  
The man turned around, his emotion slightly hard to read. Possibly surprise. To Ben, it looked like relief.  
“Thanks.” He said breathily. Ben noticed how hard he was gripping the drink bottle.  
And with that word, the man left.  
“Thanks” Ben repeated the man under his breath, half smiling.  
“Shit.” Ben’s coworker Samantha said, laughing.  
“What?” Ben asked indignantly.  
“He’s got it going on, don’t he? Whole rockstar thing going on.” Samantha said, her East End accent coming through clearly.  
“Oh god, Samantha. That’s so-” Ben began, but was interrupted.  
“He liked you.”  
“He was a customer, Samantha. He just-”  
“Twenty quid he’ll come back day after tomorrow.”  
Ben was silent for a minute, thinking about taking her up on it.  
“Why thursday? Why not tomorrow?”  
“You don’t call someone the day after you get their number. You have to wait a few days. Same with this kind of thing.”  
Ben pondered the possibility of it all for a few seconds.  
“Thirty.” Ben said challengingly, turning his back to Samantha.

*

While on the way home, Ben got a call from his boss, saying the stars were in alignment and and that he could have thursday off.  
Ben wasn’t sure where things were headed when he declined, but he knew it wasn’t because he wanted the thirty quid.

*

Much to Samantha’s misplaced delight, the man who bought the drink didn’t show up on wednesday. Ben thought perhaps everything will be normal again. He won’t show up again. He kind of had an Australian accent, right? Maybe he was here to connect to Heathrow and go back. Forever.  
Samantha had to go to the back room when he showed up on thursday, because her laughing was disturbing the cafe.  
“Shit.” Ben whispered under his breath, watching him go through the drinks section. He picked out the same drink as last time.  
Well that’s creepy that you noticed Ben berated himself in his head.  
“Uh...hey, Ben.” the man said, putting his drink on the counter and pulling out his wallet. Ben saw that today he had two thin braids beside his ears, each with a small silver clip at the end. They were very pretty.  
Ben was confused as to why the man new his name for a second until he remembered his name was embroidered on his apron.  
“Hey.” he said, punching in the numbers for the drink  
Ben punched in the numbers for his drink and the man handed him the note. He took the drink and left, but Ben noticed how he turned back just as he walked out.

This continued for a while. Every few days he’d come in and he and Ben would have half a conversation. Sometimes the weather would be thrown into the conversation and they’d just have a few seconds when they would both be focusing on the conversation rather than the trading of money. Sometime’s he’d sit down to eat. Every time, Ben found the napkin on his tray folded into a tiny bird.

One friday when the man came in to buy a drink, he properly introduced himself.  
“Tane. My name’s Tane.” He said as he handed over the drink.  
“I’ve never head that one before.”  
“Probably. It’s a family thing.” Tane said, laughing it off.  
“I think it’s nice.” Ben said, looking towards the back room where he heard a thump.  
“Coworker?” Tane asked politely  
“Barely.” Ben said, and they both laughed.  
Tane laughed, handing Ben the note. He turned around, leaving.  
“Keep the change.” he said, turning back to say it.  
Ben dropped the note on the counter, and saw something under it. It was a crumpled piece of paper. It had a phone number on it.  
Ben called out to Tane impulsively, not with any real words in mind, just a sound to call him back. Tane, halfway out the door, turned back for a second.  
“Uh...I don’t know if you wanted...uh…”  
Tane looked very entertained at Ben’s stammering.  
“My shift ends at eight..?” Ben asked as a sort-of question, forcing the words out of his mouth.  
Tane smiles widely and left the cafe.  
Ben collapsed down behind the cash register, pulling his knees up to his chin.  
“What’s wrong?” Samantha called.  
“I just asked Tane out. Oh shit. What if-”  
At the term what if, Samantha put her hands on her hips and gave Ben a judgmental stare.  
“Oh hell no. That guy is hot as fuck and you have been alone long enough. I’ll tie you to the crisp stand if you try to leave before eight.”  
Ben was silent for a while. It took his coworker Francis scolding him for being lazy that got him back into his routine.

*

At about ten to eight, Ben found himself in the back room. There was a tiny threadbare couch that some employees from ages ago had installed, and Ben had been playing with the threads on the fat arm-rest for the last ten minutes. He wasn’t really nervous. He just hadn’t been on a date in a while, and the last one was with a woman, which really didn’t go anywhere. His personality was just too tame. Conversations didn’t go anywhere. He always turned down sex. It was just confusing to him, why he couldn’t get anywhere. He didn’t even know if Tane was really interested. Had he been? Maybe he had just smiled so Ben didn’t feel bad.  
There was a cracked mirror hung on the wall of the room over a sanitation sink. Ben looked into it, studying his face, looking for anything that Tane might have found interesting. Brownish-blonde hair which hung in short curls, a roundish face. Pale skin. No stature of any kind. Barely anything of interest to his personality-  
“Ben! He’s here!” Samantha called from the front.  
Oh fuck.  
Ben quickly went his clothes one over. He’d already changed out of his work uniform and into some normal clothes. A grey and black striped sweater, dark blue jeans, and brown leather boots. He took his black parka off the coat hook and hitched it around his shoulders. It was late autumn, and the weather was already turning dismal as usual.  
Ben stepped out and saw that the store was completely empty, except for Samantha and Tane, who were chatting quietly over by the display window. The crowd outside was still bustling, as it ever was at St. Pancras station.  
“Uh, hi.” Ben called out. Tane turned around, smiling. Tane had changed his outfit from this morning. He had been wearing a blue pinstripe suit, but his clothing was more casual now. A dark button-down shirt, iron-grey jeans, and a short black trench coat. Lots of silver rings on his fingers.  
“Hey. Francis already left, I’ll clean up so you guys can leave.” Samantha said, angling her body so Ben had no choice but to move closer to Tane.  
“Okay, I’ll see you around.” Ben called out to Samantha as he and Tane began to walk out the door. Inside, he was slightly panicking. Oh god he thought. This is actually happening.  
Out in the crowd, Ben stuck close to Tane. He had no idea what to do.  
“So...uh…” Ben began. He only just realized how much of simpering idiot he must have sounded like to Tane.  
“Did you have anything in mind?” Ben finally asked once they reached the exit, standing in the chill air.  
“Yeah. There’s a restaurant down the street that’s really good. Hungry?”  
Ben nodded vigorously.  
“Are you okay with walking? It’s only a few minutes.”  
Again, Ben nodded.  
“I guess we could use it to get to know each other, since we’re practically strangers.” Ben said to Tane, looking up into his dark blue eyes. Ben had only just realized he was almost a whole head shorter than Tane, who himself was not that tall.  
“Do you really believe that?” Tane asked honestly.  
“I guess.” Ben said, moving closer into Tane because the air was so cold.  
“I don’t. I think you already have me figured out.” Tane said quietly.  
Ben studied Tane’s face. The lightest imprints of memories came to mind. The smell of leather, and of horse hair. The scratches of a nib over rough paper. The way it made him feel wasn’t happy, but it was pleasant. Like those were memories of a place more pleasant than this. It felt like freedom. Did he have him figured out?  
“I don’t think so. I really only know your name.” Ben said slowly  
“My parents are New Zealanders. It’s a traditional name there.” Tane said, looking back up as they crossed a street.  
“Did you grow up there?” Ben asked quietly  
“I was there until I was four, I think. Then my family moved to Bristol, and I came here to do some stuff and I just never left.”  
“What stuff?” Ben asked, suspicion creeping into his voice. He’d always taught himself to be suspicious of vague statements.  
“I was in a band.” Tane admitted with regret in his voice.  
“Really? What kind of music?”  
“All kinds, but mostly rock. My hair’s kind of a carry over.” Tane said laughing.  
Tane turned and Ben went with him. The walked into a small restaurant and Ben was immediately hit with the smell of thyme.  
Ben stopped Tane at the door, pressing one hand against his chest to halt him.  
“Before anything happens, can you just tell me what this is? Is this actually a date?”  
“If you want.” Tane said, taking Ben’s hand and leading him through to an empty table with two chairs.  
A waiter gave them menu’s and left them to chose what they wanted.  
“Have you ever been here?” Tane asked Ben, looking at him over the menu.  
“No. I don’t really go out much.”  
“Well, thank god I’ve fixed that.” Tane laughed. Ben was silent, and Tane quietened down.  
“I’m sorry I never really got up the courage to ever properly ask you out.” Tane admitted.  
Ben looked up  
“It’s not your fault. I wasn’t-” Ben begin, but was interrupted  
“No, I was an idiot about it. People called me brave for diving into a crowd, but what use is that? You asked an almost perfect stranger out without any inclination that he might be gay. That’s real courage.”  
Ben hid his face in his menu while he blushed violently. Was Tane sweet-talking him, or was he being honest? He seemed honest.  
The meal went well. Ben got lamb, Tane got steak. They talked about a lot of things, but Ben was on edge for a lot of the meal. He studied the shape of Tane’s nose. The slope of his forehead. The shape of his fingers. Something felt so oddly familiar about them, even though he’d never really paid attention to them.  
There it was again. That warm freedom. If Ben got it every time he thought about how Tane looked, what was setting it off? What was the cause?  
When the meal finished, and the conversation was beginning to wind down over a bottle of wine, Ben knew Tane was special. He wasn’t letting him out of his life until he knew what was going on.  
“No bird?” Ben said, motioning to the napkin Tate’s elbow. Tate laughed.  
“I knew you noticed those! Oh god, I’m so embarrassed I kept doing those. I didn’t know how to flirt so I just kept making birds hoping you’d bring it up.”  
“I thought it was sweet.” Ben said, calling over the waiter for the check.  
“Oh no, you’re not pay-” Tane began, but Ben interrupted.  
“Yes I am. You can pay for yourself if you like, but I have more than enough money to cover us.”  
“I have more.” Tane said confidently.  
“From what? Your job as a retired rockstar?”  
“Actually” Tane said proudly “I’m a field curator for The British Museum.”  
“What does that mean?” Ben laughed lightly  
“I go out and get the stuff. Go through abandoned monasteries and archeological digs, just looking for stuff they want. Good money and lots of fun.”  
“I used to think that’s what I’d spend my life doing.” Ben whispered ruefully, looking over the bill.  
“What happened?” Tane asked.  
“Oh, I don’t know. Time just slipped away. Happens to me a lot. Take a five minute break from something and suddenly it’s two hours later.”  
“There’s still time. There’s always time.” Tane said, shrugging.  
Ben was silent for a few seconds, deliberating. Suddenly, he dropped thirty pounds on the check and pulled Tane out. They were both still putting on their coats when they were outside and ten meters down the street.  
“Ben! Ben where are we going?” Tane called out, still being dragged. Suddenly, Ben turned around, and with Tane’s momentum. They were suddenly very close together.  
“Tane Durin, you’re life revolves around going interesting places and having adventures. I work at a coffee shop. My life is boring.” Ben whispered intensely.  
“No-” Tane objected, but Ben continued  
“It’s time for my first adventure.”  
“Which is?” Tane asked.  
Ben was silent before he breathed in deeply once and steeled Tane with a smile.  
“Your place.”


	2. Language Barriers

Ben woke to two things. Music, and the smell of bacon.

 

_Gonna take that old apartment_

_set that place on fire_

_gonna leave the world at large_

_and run back to the wild_

 

The song had a fuzzy, dreamy beat and made Ben sleepy even though he’d only just woken up. It wasn’t really the kind of music he listened to, but he liked it.

Ben turned onto his side and pulled the black sheets around him up to his nose. They smelled like resin and smoke. Some kind of cologne.

Ben sat up slightly and his eyes fell on a cup of tea, sitting on the bedside table. Ben took it and sipped, thankful that it wasn’t cold yet.

He got out of the bed and looked at himself in the mirror on the wall. His hair was messy and sticking out, and he didn’t seem to be wearing any clothes. Upon closer inspection, Ben could see he had bite marks on and around his neck. Had he liked it? Must have.

Ben rifled through the mess of clothes on the floor until he found a pair of boxer-briefs and a black shirt. The pants were his, but not the shirt. Really, he was still too tired to care.

Ben looked around the room, studying the decor. Album covers were displayed like art. He recognized a few of the artists like The Beatles and Metric, but some of the others, like Venus and Japandroids, were vague. A large blue and black band poster on the door was foreign to him until he recognized that the person who seemed to be the bassist was Tane. He didn’t look much different, except for the absence of a few of the wrinkles around his eyes and the lack of silver in his hair. The poster seemed to be advertising a summer tour in ’81 for the band, which was called _The Company._

Ben had yet to discover the source of the smell of bacon yet, so he set on the task as his stomach growled.

The bedroom door opened silently and he padded out into the hallway. Most of the house seemed to be decorated in dark grey and shades of purple. There were few windows, but it didn’t need the light. It felt better in the dark.

 Further down the hallway was a tiny study with a computer and lots of potted plants. At the end of the hallway was a staircase. It went up two flights and down three. This house must have cost a fortune. Ben couldn’t quite remember where in London they were. Most of his memories from after dinner were of Tane and what the different parts of his body tasted like.

The smell of bacon seemed to be emanating from downstairs, so Ben headed down, onto the ground floor. An open door on the right side of the hall showed the living room, where the furniture was all straight lines and bulky shapes, like they were hewn out of stone.

A little further along was the kitchen, where ben saw Tane, shirtless, but wearing dark blue pajama pants, his broad muscled back turned. His hair was tied in a ponytail this morning, and Ben couldn’t help but find it cute. The kitchen seemed to be hewn out of rock quite literally. The floor was bare rock, still with the whorls and dips of natural stone, as were the countertops.

Tane turned sideways to drink from a mug when he saw Ben. He put down the mug and the frying pan he was holding and turned towards Ben.

 “ Good Morning, your highness.” He said, bowing.

 “Morn’. What time is it?” Ben asked, his voice cracking from sleep.

 “Early still. If you’re working today, you have time.”

 “It’s saturday right? I have today off.” Ben said gladly, sitting on one of the black chairs at the counter. Tane slid a plate in front of him, with toast, bacon, and potatoes on it. Had he told Tane he didn’t like eggs? Must have.

Ben began to eat while looking around the kitchen. There were pictures plastered on the fridge of two teenage boys. One blonde and one dark-haired.

 “They your kids?” Ben asked innocently

 “Oh god no. I’ve...uh...I’ve never gone down that road.” Tane laughed. “My nephews, but they act like I’m their dad. He left early on, and between me and my sister, we raised them alright, though. The blonde one’s Farris and the brunette one’s Kent. They’re somewhere in the Alps right now, but they send mail a lot.”

 “That’s nice. These potatoes are really good.”

 “Thanks. So...how was last night?” Tane asked hesitantly.

 “Uh...Nice. I think. I can’t really remember much. The bite marks are evident though.”

 “What!? You had like half a bottle of red. It’s impossible to black out on that little.”

 “I’m a small person. I don’t need as much.”

 “It was half a bottle! That could barely black out a six-year-old.”

There was silence for a while, until Ben spoke.

 “Raised them alright, did you?”

Tane snorted and laughed.

 “It was good. You said you liked it.” Tane said, sliding the bacon onto another plate and sitting down next to Ben.

 “Are you doing anything today?” Tane asked.

When Ben shook his head, he smiled.

 “Do you want to come to work with me today?”

 “Sure, but I need to go back to my flat and get some clothes first. What are we doing?”

 “We got a new shipment of some really ancient weapons today. Like, so far back we can’t even date them. Found in a cave up north.”

 “Cool. I’ll be there.” Ben said, clearing off his plate.

 

Later that morning, after Ben had new clothes and Tane had changed into something more formal, they headed towards The British Museum together, only a few minutes from Tane’s house, which was had a perfect view of Russell Square.

The Museum was a beautiful building. All white concrete and marble with a massive grecian pillars out front and a beautiful glass dome on top. It was still early in the morning, so there were only a few people there. The ones who really hated crowds.

Ben had been there a few times before, but he hadn’t ever been behind the scenes. From the front foyer, Tane snatched an “Employee Guest” from the desk and pinned it to the bottom of Ben’s hoodie. They went in through a nondescript door on the far left of the foyer into a deep green hallway, where they stopped of briefly at Tane’s office.

 “How does one go from rockstar to museum employee?” Ben asked as he flopped down on the couch in the office while Tane went through emails. 

 “This is so weird.” Tane whispered frustratedly behind the monitor.

 “What is?”

 “There are some photos of the stuff we’re unpacking this morning and they’ve...got english on them.”

 “So?”

 “They’re from so far back we can’t even date them, and they have _english_ written on them? That’s just...it’s more than impossible. There was never an option for it to even happen! They were sealed off in that cave, they’re still in perfect condition, so how is there english on them?”

Tane got up out of his seat and motioned for Ben to follow him. Further down the hall, and up a flight of stairs, they came to the ancient culture wing, where the passed through a door marked with a sign saying ‘Employees Only’. Inside was a brightly lit chamber with empty display cases opened and large wooded crates standing at waist height. In the corner, going over something on a clipboard, an incredibly tall woman in a red and black leather dress stood, her platinum blonde hair in a fishtail braid between her shoulder blades. She spotted Tane and Ben and began to walk over.

 “Oh god, that’s my boss. She’s a bitch, just ignore what she says.” Tane whispered.

 “Good morning Tane.” She looked down briefly at the visitor pass on Ben’s shirt 

 “Who’s this? Is your new boyfriend a jockey?” she said in a deep voice entirely incongruent with her feminine figure.

Ben was sputtering and still trying to come up with an answer when she turned away from him and continued to speak.

 “The shipments in, as you can hopefully see. Open the crates for me and start planning out the displays. There’s a room layout on the clipboard. Use that.”

 “What do you think of the writing?” Tane whispered to her.

 “Aliens” She said sarcastically as she left, swishing out the door.

 “Jockey!?” Ben exclaimed, indignant.

 “I told you to ignore her. She hates me.” He said, picking up a crowbar and going at one of the crates. After he had levered off the top and pulled out the cotton stuffing, inside was a simple wooden case.

 “Policy says you have to wear these.” Tane whispered, handing Ben a pair of light blue cotton gloves.

Tane opened the box after putting on his own gloves and sighed after seeing what was inside.

 “This is one of the category A ones.” He said, marking it off on the next page of the clipboard.

 “Category?” Ben whispered

 “Out of all of the swords, we recognized three different design motifs, right now called A, B, and C. We’re still trying to figure out exactly how they all got together.”

In the box on a layer of padded material was a broadsword in almost perfect condition. The blade was a bit cloudy and the leather on the handle was partly worn away, but for a sword apparently predating history, it was amazing. It had a beautiful design, not a single straight edge on it. The blade was curved in a slight leaf shape and the handle was of vibrant green stone. Swirls were etched on the blade.

 “It’s beautiful work.” Ben whispered to Tane. In the silence of the museum, it seemed a crime to speak any louder.

  “Here’s one of the one’s with english on them.” Tane said, lifting a long medieval style longsword, with silver detailing on the handle. Inscribed on the blade was the name of a long forgotten person.

 “Arceron of Gondor.” Ben whispered, running a finger along the words.

 “We literally have no idea what it means. Gondor could be anything, really. A town, a street, a continent.” Tane whispered.

 “You said there was a third kind. What’re those ones like?”

 “Don’t know.” Tane said excitedly, picking up a flat square box. He opened it and inside, lying next to each other, were a pair of dangerous looking knives. There were the exact opposite of the first sword Ben had seen. These were squared off at every corner, with broad blades and big grommets nailed into the leather handle.

 Ben inhaled deeply as he lifted one of the knives out of the box, running a finger over the cool metal and then rubbing his eyes, as if he could not believe what he was seeing.

 “What is it?” Tane asked

 “I…I can read that!” he whispered frightened.

 “No you can’t.” Tane whispered, laughing.

 “The Line Of Durin Lives On...In The Body Of Baggins.” He whispered, tracing over the strange letters that were inscribed on the broad surface of each blade.

 “What?”

 “Yeah, look. The symbols all match up. That one is the letter B” Ben said, pointing each one out until Tane believe him.

 “What does it even mean, then? It’s got our fucking names in it, and it’s...prehistoric! My name is maori! Native Maori! How did it end up in a cave in Aberdeen?” Tane asked, desperately confused.

A jingling noise emitted from Tane’s pocket. He checked his phone and sighed, slowly standing.

 “Custodian needs me. Just stay here for a second. Guard the weapons.” Tane said, placing a hand on Ben’s shoulder and letting it trail down his arm as he walked away.

Ben say on the edge of one of the displays and stared down at the knife in his hand, his fingers tracing over the letters again. He didn’t know why he could read it, but he could, and he wanted answers.

 “Tane, I need you- Where’s Tane?” The cold accent of Tane’s boss cut through the air.

 “Oh, the custodian needed him. My name’s Ben, by the way. It’s...nice to meet you.” Ben forced out a polite greeting.

 “Er, Serena Smaug, Doctor of Anthropology.” She greeted him coldly. She looked down at the knife in his hand and snatched it from him.

 “Even with proper gloves, only employee’s should handle the artifacts!” She snapped, placing the knife back in the box. As she was putting the box down, she did a double take and held the box up to her eyes.

 “Can you read them?” Ben asked, disbelieving.

 “How…?” Serena asked dubiously.

 “I can too! Maybe it’s just Tane who can’t.”

 “Oh. Oh I don’t feel…” Sera started, shoving the box into Ben’s chest, which he barely caught.

Serena pressed the back of one well manicured hand to her forehead. Suddenly, she was very still.

 “Serena...are you…?” Ben began, but stopped when she looked up.

Blood red, glowing gently. Her eyes, which had once been coal black, were now blood red, and looked incredibly furious.

 “-the fuck!?” Ben screamed, falling backwards.

Serena stood, a look of extreme anger upon her face.

 “THIEF!” She screamed once, before opening her mouth. A soft incandescence appeared inside, and a gout of flame shot out towards Ben.

Ben screamed, holding the box up to the flame barreling towards him. The box protected most of him, but the instant agony in his fingertips was apparent, and he could smell singed hair.

Ben scurried backwards, looking out over the box at Serena.

 “BIL-” She began, but was cut off by a loud bell. The fire alarm had gone off.

 Ben shot up and ran out the door, barreling down the hallway. People were stepping out of their offices, wanting to know what was going on.

Not really looking at where he was going, Ben slammed into Tane.

 “Ben! What’s- oh my god, your fingers!” He exclaimed, holding Ben’s blistered fingers in his hands lightly. Ben instantly snatched them away.

 “You stay the fuck away from me!” He screamed before he continued running, leaving a very confused Tane in his wake.

 


	3. Company

Ben was halfway up his staircase before he realized he was still holding the box of knives.  
He dropped the partly-charred box on the kitchen counter and leaved against the fridge. His heart was still beating, even after the twenty minutes in the Underground, where everyone was a threat. Now that the adrenaline was fading, he could start to feel the pain in his hands.  
He opened the cupboard and fished out the first aid box. A layer of burn cream and then bandages on top. Thankfully, he could still handle things with his fingers without too much pain, but the hair on his arms was done for.  
He walked into the living room and settled down on the couch, turning on the television. An episode of Great British Bake-Off helped him calm down. Intrigued, Ben pulled his laptop from his coffee table and pulled up an internet browser. His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a few seconds before he started typing in phrases.  
Serena Smaug. Nothing besides some mentions on an archeological website.  
Red eyes fire breather. Nothing.  
They were just getting to the signature bake when the doorbell rang.  
Slowly, Ben stood up. Tane knew where he lived. Had he come looking for a answer for what had happened earlier? Ben hadn’t really meant what he said. He had still been freaking out over what happened, and he would have screamed at anyone who had tried to stop him from getting as far away from that building as he could.  
Ben stole out into the hallways, slowly walking up to the door. He cursed himself for never getting a peephole put in.  
He slowly opened the door, looking for red irises first. When his eyes met brown, he relaxed.  
A man, only a little taller than Ben, was standing at the door. His dark hair was long, and he was wearing one of those big furry hats with earflaps. He had a charming smile and a big handlebar mustache.  
“Hi, I’m Bofsky. I’m a friend of Tane’s.” He said, his deep voice reassuring. At the mention of Tane, Ben tensed up.  
“He’s not here. He’s still at his work, sorting everything out. I live in the area, so he sent me over.” Bofsky said, holding his hands up in submission.  
“What did he want?” Ben asked cautiously.  
“He wanted me to make sure you’re okay.”  
“Yeah. Did you want a cup of tea or something?” Ben asked, trying to be polite.  
“That’d be wonderful.” Bofsky smiled.  
Bofsky walked in and sat down on the couch while Ben steeped tea. When Ben handed him the mug, Bofsky smiles again.  
“That’s great. So, he asked me very sternly to make sure I did this right. Are you okay?” Bofsky asked, leaning towards Ben.  
“I’m fine. I just got scared. I’m not angry at him.” Ben stated.  
“What about your fingers? They don’t look too great.” Bofsky said, pointing to his fingers. Only the fingertips had been burnt, but the entirety of Ben’s palms were bright red from the distress.  
“Just...I don’t know. Weird stuff and I got hurt.” Ben uttered, unsure of how well this man would accept the news that Tane’s boss could breath fire.  
“That’s a relief. Tane was really scared about you.” Bofsky sighed.  
“Well, we haven’t really known each other that long. It’s nice he’s interested in knowing if I’m alive.”  
“Tane doesn’t half-arse stuff. If he likes someone, he’ll go to the end of the earth to ensure their safety. He doesn’t do casual interest.”  
“Yes, well, I can take care of myself.” Ben said as he sipped his tea.  
They both drank quietly for a few seconds before Ben broke the silence.  
“What do you know about Serena Smaug?”  
“Tane’s boss? Bitch. Acts like she runs the place-”  
“Do you work with Tane?” Ben asked inquisitively  
“Oh god no. I’m a toy maker. I specialize in vintage stuff. Vinyl dolls and train sets and the like. He came to my store a few years back looking into toy swords and we got to know each other. How are his kids doing?”  
“Fine. They’re in the Alps right now.” Ben answered without really thinking.  
Bofsky leaned back and grinned.  
“And you say you haven’t known him that long.” He laughed.  
“I guess he leaves an imprint.” Ben said, setting his now empty mug down. Bofsky did the same.  
“But Serena Smaug...nasty. Tane said she just popped out of nowhere one day and took over the whole archeological division. Fired a bunch of people and I guess Tane was just lucky to make the cut. He really only stands her because he’s away from London so much.”  
“Okay. Well, thanks for coming over. It was nice to meet you.”  
“It was nice to meet you too, and I’m sure Tane’ll be happy to hear you’re okay.” Bofsky grinned as he headed for the door.  
“Oh, and just in case you have a nieces birthday coming up or something.” Bofsky whispered, handing Ben a business card. Printed in large letters across the top was THE COMPANY: Vintage Toys And Memorabilia.  
“That was Thorin’s band.” Ben mused  
“Thorin? Who’s Thorin?” Bofsky asked.  
“What?” Ben asked, confused  
“You said Thorin.” Bofsky laughed  
“Oh, sorry. Tane’s band. It was called The Company.” Ben said, rubbing his temple. He was exhausted and barely thinking straight.  
“Yeah. Sort of a mini-empire. We’re a group of friends and we all call our projects and businesses The Company. Don’t really know why, it just kind of happened.” Bofsky laughed as he opened the door. He bid Ben goodbye and left.  
Ben went to go take a nap, drained by the day, but the phrase Thorin and the company swirled in his head. It must have been an accident. He’d never heard the name Thorin before. Just a slip of the tongue.  
Just a slip of the tongue.  
just a slip…  
just…  
and with those thoughts, Ben nodded off to sleep.

 

Ben woke with a horrible headache.  
“Ah, shit.” he said as he stumbled to the kitchen, desperate for aspirin. After he swallowed two down with a glass of juice, he started to feel better.  
He went into the living room, where he turned on the television. He didn’t really pay attention to what was on.  
He grabbed his phone from the table and noticed he’d received two messages. Both were from Tane.

From Tane Durin at 10:57:  
Ben, are you okay? What happened? I’m still at work trying to sort stuff out. Please reply.

From Tane Durin at 11:23:  
We’ve got everything under control. They’ve dismissed us all from work and I’m at home now. Bofsky told me you’re okay, but I need to hear it from you.

Ben looked up at the little bar at the top of his phone. It was just after midday. He thought about replying, but he wasn’t really sure what he would put in the message.  
He walked into the kitchen to get a drink, and it was only then that he remembered the box. It was blackened and charred, but still solid.  
He walked over to it opened it carefully. The two knives inside were still perfectly fine, just a little rattled around. The writing on the blades stared up at him, confusing and menacing.  
Ben was halfway through thought when there was a sound like breaking glass from the living room, and then the telltale whump sound of instant immolation.  
The living room was on fire.  
Ben sprinted in to check the damage. The couch was up in flames, as was the table and television. Ben ran forwards, snatching up his laptop and phone. The fire was already too big to control. He needed to escape. Oily black smoke was already filling the flat.  
Ben ran into his room and found his messenger bag. The first items of clothing his fingers touched went in, as well as a phone. There was a smashing sound from the living room and Ben knew the television had just exploded. He needed to get out now.  
Ben sprinted out of the bedroom and was just on the stair case when he remembered the knives. He couldn’t leave those behind.  
He ran into the kitchen, covering his nose and mouth with the hem of his shirt. He could hear cracking wood.  
He took up he box and shoved it in the messenger bag and then threw himself down the staircase, which collapsed into ashy embers under his feet.  
Ben smashed through his door and out into the shared hallway. Thank god the other two tenants weren’t here right now.  
He ran for the door and flung it open, throwing himself outside into the fresh air.  
He ran out onto the street and looked up at the building. What the fuck had they thrown in through his window? It had barely been a minute and already the entire top floor where Ben lived had already collapsed, the black smoke pouring upwards.  
Two men in police uniforms approached Ben. He sighed and greeted them.  
“I have no idea what happened! I heard breaking glass and then suddenly the living room was on fire! I...can...what are you?”  
Ben stared curiously at the two men. They were both deformed horribly, and hunched over. Their skin was sickly grey and their grins showed broken teeth.  
“Oh, what a shame. I wonder who could have done this?” The first one asked in a horrible screeching accent.  
“Too bad you didn’t go up in flames. Guess we have to deal with you here.” The second one said in an equally disgusting voice.  
It didn’t really click until one of them pulled out a gun.  
Ben went into overdrive. He pulled one of the knives from his bag and swung it forwards at the one with the gun. There was a screech, and he had lurched sideways. The cut on his face bled black.  
“Bastard!” He screamed, aiming his gun.  
Ben was quicker though. He shoved forward again and stabbed the man in the gut, black blood spurting outwards. The man collapsed.  
“Bloody hell! You killed him!” The second man screamed. People were starting to come out of their houses, wondering what was going on. Ben could hear a fire truck.  
“Who sent you? Who wants me dead!?” Ben screamed, holding the knife at the second mans neck.  
“Smaug! Smaug brought us back and sent us!”  
“Well tell her I have a message for her. Tell her that if she wants me dead, she’ll have to do it herself.” Ben whispered menacingly. He looked around and saw people were screaming, and he could see the flash of video cameras. He needed to run.


	4. New Memories

Killing someone changes you. It took Ben ten minutes to realize that.  
He stopped in a shaded alley to try and clean the black gunk off his shirt, retching when he smelled it. It wasn’t blood, that much he was sure of. Did the man have a horrible infection of some kind? Ben wasn’t really sure what to think. So much had happened today.  
After he’d cleaned off most of the gunk, he turned his shirt inside out to hide the remainder. He sidled down between two trashcans and pulled out his phone. He was still open on that conversation with Tane, that little message box waiting for his answer. Ben closed the message box and pulled up the phone app. He punched in the number (that he had shamelessly already memorized) and hit call. Four rings and then Tane’s voice.  
“Ben? Hey!”  
“I don’t know how long we can talk. They might already by tracing the number.”  
“What? Who’s tracing the number-”  
“I don’t know. Police, maybe. Possible something higher up. My flat’s been burnt down and I killed a guy. I’m alive, but barely.”  
Tane was silent for a few seconds, and then a crackling sound was heard on the other side.  
“Oh shit. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Are you hurt?”  
“No. A little smoky, but that’s it.”  
“You need to come to my place. You need somewhere safe.”  
“No. I’m already linked to you...it’s Serena. She’s the one who wants me dead.”  
Another pause from Tane.  
“That’s ridiculous.”  
“Maybe, but it’s still true. Tane...I don’t think she’s human. Back in the museum, she could breath fire. That’s how I got burnt. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m sure as hell going to find out.”  
Tane was quiet for a few seconds, and when he spoke, his voice was cracking.  
“Arkenstone. That’s her office password. I’ll...I’ll leave the door unlocked at the museum tomorrow night. The cleaners are there until eleven.”  
And with that, his side went dead.

Ben found asylum with Samantha the next day.  
She had a tiny flat in The City Of London above an art school she had no relation to. It was cramped, with only a kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, but she made it feel like home.  
“So are you actually doing this?” She said, handing Ben a mug of green tea.  
“As far as I know, yes. Tonight.” Ben replied, fear in his voice.  
“It’s not really breaking in though. You know the password and the door’s unlocked. You’re just taking advantage. What are you looking for, anyway?” She asked, laughing.  
“Not sure really. Just an explanation to what happened. No one would take me seriously if I took it to the police, so I’ve got to take this into my own hands.”  
They both sat for a few minutes, watching the television. Reruns of QI.  
“You’ve changed so much. You’re so much different than you were on friday.” Samantha said ruefully.  
“I know. It feels like longer, but everything was totally normal on friday...god, my life’s gone down the toilet, hasn’t it?”  
“Depends on how you look at it. No offense, but you’re life was pretty boring. It made me so...angry.” Samantha laughed. She explained when Ben gave a confused look.  
“It’s just...you were so content with just living in this one corner of the world, never doing anything besides working or sleeping. The funny thing is, you sound like the kind of person who would never do that. When you speak...it’s like you are free. You can hear it in your voice.”  
“And what’s the difference now?”  
“Now? It’s on your face as well. You like it better this way.”  
The both sipped tea quietly for a few minutes. Ben’s hands were shaking.  
“I’m so scared of everything that’s happening.” He whispered.  
“I’d be concerned if you weren’t.” Samantha replied. A small chiming sound echoed around the apartment.  
The clock had struck eleven.  
It was time.

*

Ben pulled on a dark hoodie in an alley by Russell Square.  
He couldn’t go to see Tane. He wouldn’t. It was too dangerous.  
Ben arranged the items in his backpack again. The two knives were heavy against his hips, held in holsters against his jeans. Samantha hadn’t really explained why she had knife holsters. Ben didn’t really want to know, but he needed them. He needed defense.  
He stole down the street, between late night crowds of younger people. The lights of the museum were dimmed. He couldn’t see security officers, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.  
He slipped up to the gates and pretended to just be admiring the building. His fingers flew across the padlock, which seemed like an oddly ancient system for the building, but the lock came apart in his fingers. Tane had been telling the truth.  
He edged past the gate and put the lock back on, only barely closing it so he could still get out later.  
Ben walked across the massive front garden and up to the doors. The door he remembered Tane and him had entered through yesterday swung open when he pushed.  
He crouched behind the front desk, having seen the beam of a flashlight swing down across the doors when he entered. When it wandered away, he sprinted from the desk to the side hallways, which was obscured from the guard’s line of sight by a decorative divider.  
He opened the door as silently as he could and ran down the hallway, looking for a doorplate that read Serena Smaug. Right at the end, on the left side, was her office.  
The door was indeed different from all the others. It was metal, and had a word combination instead of a key lock.  
Slowly, ensuring to not get it wrong, Ben slowly punched in the word ARKENSTONE. It was a strange password. It was a strange word.  
The little light blipped green and the door softly swung inward.  
The office was all in shades of black and red, with gold accents for everything. Gold lamps, gold stationary, gold furniture footers. Glass caskets on either wall bore ancient coins and other treasure. A large painting of a lone mountain dominated the back wall, and a large wooden desk was sat in the middle of the room. A laptop sat on the desk, the screen still glowing softly. She hadn’t been gone for long.  
Bilbo edged around the desk, trying to not upset anything for fear Serena would notice.  
He moused around on the computer, trying to find answers, but to no avail. It was emails from maintenance officers and excavators, and some recent papers about pottery in Mongolia.  
Ben started opening drawers, looking for anything out of the ordinary. The woman could breath fire. She must have had some sort of explanation lurking somewhere.  
Ben was going through his third draw when he heard tentative footsteps outside, and then the sound of someone clicking on the password lock.  
Shit.  
Quick as he could, Ben slid the drawer shut and hid between two display caskets, hoping to god that she wouldn’t see him. No fucking wonder the screen was still on. She was still here. How fucking stupid had he been to not question that?  
“Ben?” He heard a feather-light whisper.  
Ben went rigid, and then relaxed. It was Tane.  
“Tane.” He whispered back, still not coming out from under the desk.  
“It’s okay. Come out.” Tane whispered. Ben could hear the sound of a door closing and he crawled out from under the desk.  
“Fucking christ, Tane. What are you doing here?”  
“Helping.” He whispered, sidling up to Ben.  
“You already helped. You gave me the password. Go home.”  
“Never.” He whispered, enveloping Ben in a hug.  
Tane pulled back and noticed the knives. His face wasn’t really shock, but something more like curiosity.  
“You took the knives?”  
“They had my name on them. They belong to me.”  
Tane was silent, and then put his hands up in submission.  
“I guess. Just keep them safe. They’re old.”  
Ben realized that at this point they were well past the point of caring about the law. In the space of two days, he’d committed theft, murder, breaking-and-entering, and invasion of property. Nothing mattered anymore.  
“What are you looking for, exactly?”  
“Answers. Something to explain what’s going on.”  
“Oh, fun fact. Serena didn’t show up for work today. First time in thirteen years.” Tane whispered.  
“Then why was the computer on?”  
“You aren’t the only one looking for answers.” Tane said, shrugging.  
Ben continued to go through the drawers.  
“Look at this.” He whispered to Tane.  
It was an old leather book. Dark brown with gems and precious stones studded in swirled designs on the front. Tane gasped.  
“That’s from months ago. She...she stole that from a display!”  
Ben flipped through the pages and found exactly what he was looking for. Pages and pages of sketches. Diagrams of the letters that were on the knives. An eye with a red iris. A sketch of Ben, but wearing very old clothing. A dark red jacket and a brown waistcoat. A mountain in flames.  
“What on Earth?” Tane whispered.  
“I don’t know, but it’s mine now. We need to leave.” Ben said, throwing the book into his bag. He wasn’t going to risk staying around any longer.

*

“This is creepy shit.” Tane whispered.  
At this point, about an hour after the heist, they seemed to be in the clear. No obvious alarms had gone off and police didn’t arrive on the scene. They took three different buses and a train to go on a fifteen minute walk, just so they were sure no one was following them. They stopped in at a coffee shop to examine the book. Only a few pages had anything written on them, but it was enough to send Serena Smaug to jail. Within, she had accounts of stole artifacts amassed over the years and prices she had gotten for them. Disturbingly, there were three pages of confusing scribbles, and then the entries took a turn for the worst. The pictures Ben had already seen in the office, as well as detailed portraits of Ben and Tane with slit throats and broken limbs. Crude paragraphs describe how she would kill them. A self portrait with red eyes and a cruel grin. The final written-upon page had only two lines on it.

I am renewed. I am reverted. I am dominant once again. They will die. They will all die and I will bathe in their blood. I am Smaug. I am the breather of flame. They will suffer.

“Creepy shit. Yes.” Ben whispered.  
“From the shade of the ink, I’d say these are very new. The last twenty-four hours.”  
“This morning, when she burnt me.” Bilbo stated.  
“What happened? What happened exactly?” Tane asked, leaning towards Bilbo.  
“She saw the knives, and she could read them too. Said she had a headache and crouched down. When she looked up she had red eyes and called me a thief. She breathed fire, and then she started saying something else when the fire alarm went off.”  
“What did she say?”  
“...Bill. Like the name.”  
Tane leaned back in his chair and put his thumb up to his mouth, a look of concentration upon his face. Ben couldn’t help but think it looked cute.  
“I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’m sorry I dragged you into this.” Ben whispered, leaning across the table and claiming Tane’s closer hand.  
“Don’t be sorry. I’m here because I care about you. I’m not letting anyone hurt you.” Tane whispered, looking into Ben’s eyes. Hazel meeting deep blue.  
“Let’s go walk. I need to move.” Tane said, breaking the contact. He stood and pulled on his coat.  
They took their coffees and started walking. They wandered for a while, not really talking. They were halfway across a mostly silent bridge when Tane talked.  
“Is Ben short for anything?”  
“Benjamin.”  
“Why don’t you go by Benjamin?”  
“It’s a mouthful. Why do you ask?”  
“If she called you Bill...what does that mean?”  
They stopped and looked out across the Thames. The Parliament building was lit up tonight.  
“I called you Thorin today.” Bilbo said plainly.  
“What?”  
“When I was talking to Bofsky about you, I accidentally called you Thorin. Don’t know why. Just...while we’re on the subject of names.”  
“Bill and Thorin.” Tane chuckled.  
“Bill…” Ben whispered. There was a spark in his head. Some random neurons clicking together suddenly.  
“Bill...bo.” He whispered. His eyes narrows, confused by his new thoughts.  
“Ben, what’s-” Tane began, but was interrupted.  
“Bilbo. Bilbo...Baggins.” Ben uttered slowly.  
“Who’s-”  
“Bilbo Baggins of Bag End.” Ben uttered with horrified realization.  
And with those words, the large coffee in Ben’s hand crashed to the ground, spraying everywhere. Ben paid it no attention though. He was completely lost in his own head.  
“Bilbo Baggins of Bag End. The burglar for the party of dwarves.” He whispered, looking down. Where were these words coming from? What did they mean?  
“Burglar? What burglar? Are you planning a theft?” Tane asked, concerned.  
Ben suddenly lurched forwards, his head clutched in both hands. A faint light emanated from his honey curls. It unsettled Tane greatly.  
“Oh shit, Ben!” Tane cried, kneeling down and huddling up to him, his arms around his shoulders. Ben was screeching with pain.  
“Fuck! Fuck! Tane, call 999! My...AH FUCK!” Ben screamed. He collapsed to the ground, curled up on his side. The light from his head was brighter now.  
In Ben’s head, memories flooded in. Things he couldn’t explain. The smell of parchment and feathers. A round green door. The roar of a ferocious beast. A handsome man who resembled Tane...a man he knew was named Thorin.  
The neurons in Ben’s brain screamed along, trying to connect to accommodate all of these new memories. Enough memories for two whole lives. It was simply too much, and hurt as well.  
Tane and Ben’s foreheads met. They looked into each others eyes. Ben out of fear of possibly dying alone, Tane out of worry. Worry that something wound happen and he would never see those eyes again.  
Tears of pain streamed down Ben’s face. He felt like he was certainly going to die.  
“My dear...Thorin.” Ben whispered before passing out.


	5. Old And New

He was not unconscious for long before The Man In Grey visited him.  
The place they were in was hard to describe. It was dark and light, closed and open all at the same time. Light reflected off surfaces and shattered into silver glass. People walked around them, but the area was completely empty. Ben was filled with a incredible sense of bliss.  
“Where am I?” Ben asked to no one in particular. Slowly, the smooth ground below him turned into sand. Water all around him. A mountain range broke up through the ground not far away.  
“Care to join me for tea?” A soft voice called out. A table appeared in front of Ben. and then a man on a chair.  
“Where shall I sit?” Ben asked, puzzled.  
“On a chair, perhaps.” The man said, pulling a fancy wrought-iron chair out of his pocket. Nothing seemed wrong about it.  
Ben sat across from the man, who was dressed in shifting grey clothes. Sometimes it looked like cloth, other times like feathers. Sometimes like grey fire. Ben didn’t really care.  
“Care to join me for tea?” The man asked again, but it felt like this was only his first time saying it. A cup and saucer popped into existence in front of Ben. He went to take a sip, but the tea turned solid and fell to the ground, which was now cobblestone.  
“Care to join me for tea?” The man asked for the first time again.  
“Why do you keep asking that?” Ben asked, placing the cup down onto the saucer which had turned into a snake.  
“Asking what? Would you care to join me for tea?” The man asked. The snake slithered into self respect.  
“Stop asking that. My answer is yes.” Ben asked, his teeth clenched together. Elephants fluttered in the sky above them.  
“Answer to what?”  
“Would you care to join me for tea?” Ben asked angrily.  
Suddenly, the world fell away upwards. Ben stayed in place on a chair that no longer existed. As quick as it had faded away, the same scene shuttered into existence, but this one made a lot more sense. The mountains stayed still, and the sand beneath them didn’t turn into stone. They were at a small table on a beach, the Man In Grey pouring tea into Ben’s cup. He wore a light grey suit and his long white hair was tied back.  
“Sorry abut that. Sometimes the connection gets corrupted and the reality vectors start to go wonky. Needed you to offer tea to reboot the system.”  
“It’s okay. Can’t really blame you, considering this is my dream.”  
“I guess you’re right.”  
“So what do you want?” Ben asked. Although he had no idea who this man was, he felt at ease.  
“I wanted to congratulate you. Also, check up on you.”  
“Check up? But we’ve never met before.”  
“Oh, yes we have. You may not have realized it was me, or you may not remember it, but we’ve met many, many times. My name is Gandalf.”  
“Are you God?” Ben asked, sipping tea.  
“You asked that yesterday as well.”  
“I didn’t meet you yesterday.”  
“Like I said, you just don’t remember.”  
They both sipped tea quietly  
“How do you find Thorin?”  
“Who?”  
“I guess Knowing didn’t hit you as hard as it should have. Okay, basics. Who is Thorin?”  
Ben was quiet before he guessed. He remembered accidentally calling Tane that name.  
“Tane. He’s nice.”  
“Perfect. You’re starting to get it.”  
“Get what?”  
“You’ll understand in time. Now, another question. How long have you known Tane?”  
“A few weeks, but I only got to know him a few days ago.”  
“How long have you know Thorin?” Gandalf asked inquisitively.  
Ben was quiet for a while before he answered.  
“Longer.”  
“Do you know what that means?”  
“No, and It’s scaring me.”  
“It’s okay. You will in time. Soon you will Know.”  
“No offense, but I really have no idea what’s going on.”  
“That’s perfectly fine. I’d explain it to you, but I’m afraid you don’t really have words for it.”  
“Try.” Ben asked, indignant.  
“Well...there are certain…life forces. Some represent...greed or malice…and some represent love and compassion. Their ideal is to get together with other compatible life forces, but it doesn’t usually work out. But when they do...I think the human word for it is soul-mate?”  
“Tane and I are soul-mates?” Ben asked  
“No, Tane and you are just containers.”  
“For what?”  
“Thorin and Bilbo.”  
“Who’s Bilbo? Is that me?”  
“Sort of. You’ll understand in time. Now, I believe there is something you wish to ask me.”  
Ben was quiet before he realized what Gandalf was saying.  
“Who is Serena Smaug?”  
“She’s an anthropologist from Canterbury. Try again.”  
“What is Serena Smaug?” Ben asked again  
“She’s the container for the spirit of material greed. She’s Bilbo’s antitheses, which is freedom. She will stop at nothing to destroy you.”  
Far on the horizon, he could see the mountains start to fade. He didn’t have much more time.  
“Then what do I do?” Ben asked, desperate  
“Whatever you deem appropriate action.” Gandalf whispered as the world fell away.

Ben’s eyes fluttered open, blinded momentarily by the bright light.  
He sat up, taking in the smell of antiseptic. He was in a hospital. The dream was still fresh in his head.  
“Hello sweetie. Don’t panic. You’re at Royal Free Hospital. You passed out.”  
It was a woman’s voice, comforting and sweet. A woman with wavy blonde hair and a kind face looked at him.  
“I’m Gladys.” She stated.  
“Ben...I think.”  
“I dear. Possible amnesia. Trauma?” She whispered to a fellow nurse who was almost identical to her, blonde hair and a fair face.  
“Maybe. They boyfriend said he didn’t hit his head very hard.”  
“No. I don’t have amnesia. My name is Ben. Don’t worry.” Ben said, smiling.  
“Well that’s good to hear. Do you want to see Tane? He passed out just as you got here, but he’s been conscious for a while now.”  
“Yes. How long was I out for?” Ben asked, rubbing his eye with a fist.  
“You came in last night. It’s five p.m.” Gladys whispered consolingly.  
“God, I’m sorry. I really don’t know what happened. I...just passed out. I feel fine now, at least.” Ben said, trying to lie convincingly. The dream was still fresh in his head.  
“That’s good to hear. I’ll fetch Tane.” The second nurse stated. A badge said his name was Ron.  
Gladys and Ron left and came back a few minutes later with Tane, who had a bandage wrapped around his Temple.  
“What happened? Are you okay?” Ben asked alarmed.  
“Hit my head off the main desk when I passed out. Bad cut.” Tane whispered as he sat down.  
“We’ll leave you two alone. You seem fit to leave. We’ll go order the papers and you’ll be out in a few minutes.” Ron said cheerily.  
Once the left, Tane took Ben’s hand and the look of relief on his face turned to concern.  
“Did you dream about him? The man in grey?” Tane whispered hurriedly.  
“Yeah.”  
“I’m so freaked out. I’ve got all these knew memories. I...I know how to fight with a sword, and speak another language. Holy shit, I know how to make so much stuff.” Tane said, amazed.  
“Yeah, me too. Recipes for like fifty kinds of bread, and how to make clothes.” Bilbo said reassuringly.  
“And you...Bilbo...Ben...I...I’ve met you before.”  
“In another life. I think it’s like...you died. And now we’re here because we didn’t get together in the other life.”  
“Close but not close enough...that’s what Gandalf said.” Tane whispered.  
“So what now?”  
“It happened to Serena too. She’s the dragon...jeez, with that name and everything It’s so weird I never noticed before.”  
“She wants us dead, and she won’t stop at anything, ever. I don’t even think we can kill her. She’s more dragon than human now.”  
“What do we do?” Bilbo asked desperately.  
“Run. Run and never look back...I miss having a kingdom. I never got that when I was Thorin. I want to be a king again.” Tane said excitedly.  
“What? We just drop everything and disappear?”  
Tane moved in closer to Ben.  
“Smaug will kill us. I lost you once…I’m not losing you again.”  
Ben looked out to the window, to the skyline of London. His home.  
“My entire life I’ve been doing what I was told was good for me. Kept quiet, never did anything out of the ordinary. These last few days...so much has changed, and I love it. I love being free, and I love being with you. I love you, Tane.”  
“I love you too. That’s why I need you to do this with me.” Tane whispered, smiling gently.  
Ben deliberated, and then smiled at Tane.  
“When do we leave?”

*

Dear Samantha,

I regret to say, this is the last you will ever hear of me. With this note, I officially resign from work. You can have my paycheck from my last week. I am also giving you ownership of my flat in Hackney, or at least, what’s left of it. The keys are in the envelope.  
Please don’t be scared by this letter. I want to thank you infinitely for everything you have done, including forcing me to get to know Tane. You have been the catalyst for my new life, and for that, I thank you.  
We don’t plan on ever coming back to London. Me and Tane have discovered some very important things about ourselves that we would have loved to tell you, but it is simply to dangerous. There are people in London who wish to kill us, and we couldn’t stay any longer out of fear of our lives. I would explain more, but I don’t want you getting involved in this.  
With this letter, I hope to give you a bit of advice. Don’t let other people dictate your life. We are only human, and we are only given a short amount of time in which to experience it before we fade forever. Do amazing things and meet amazing people. Eat amazing food and see amazing sights. I know I have never been one for those horrible inspirational quotes, but I speak from the heart on this. The only person stopping you from ever being happy is yourself.  
I am safe, and know that I will always love you.

Ben Baggins

 

Ben folded up the letter and put it in the envelope with the keys. He stuck ten stamps onto the envelope to be safe and shoved it into the red mailbox. He placed his palm against the slot. No going back.  
Ben turned around to the sight of Tane leaning against the dark grey sports car, the headlights glowing dimly in the early morning light. Over night, Tane had literally drained his entire bank account into supplies, and used the rest to buy the car. His final connection to his life in this era.  
They didn’t know where they were going. Tane had an idea about going east and not stopping until they found a mountain and building a village on it for people in similar situations. A final safe haven, outside of modern society, for those who Knew. They’d get the word out somehow. Tane’s sister and his nephews had already been contacted and agreed to start the village with them. Freedom was a family thing, apparently.  
Ben walked up to Tane and fell into his chest, their arms wrapping around each other. Tane had bought a beautiful fur jacket that resembled another item of clothing Ben could faintly remember.  
“It doesn’t feel quite real does it, leaving everything?” Ben asked  
“We aren’t leaving our lives. We’re going back to them.” Tane whispered into Ben’s ear.  
They separated and clambered into the car. Through the windshield, Ben could see the road, stretching into the horizon.  
Without looking, Ben took Tane’s hand and grasped it, the warmth radiating on his skin.  
“Together?” Ben asked, whispering.  
“Together.” Tane replied, his voice confident. The engine under them rumbled to life. Slowly, they began to move.  
As the scenery outside began to flash past, Ben sighed. This was it.   
Ben had waited lifetimes for this.  
He was quite ready for another adventure.


End file.
